As a collegian, Imhoff was feared as a shot blocker, and was a
respected rebounder who was the hub around which coach Pete Newell built his
NCAA champion
University of California team.
The Golden Bears edged Jerry West's West Virginia University team
in 1959, with Imhoff rated by some the best college player in the
country. In 1960, leading the nation's top-rated defense from his
center spot, the 6'10 235-pounder led Cal back to the NCAA Finals
before losing to Jerry
Lucas and Ohio State. He was a two-time First Team
All-American and a member of Berkeley's Nu Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau
fraternity.

Imhoff was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall
of Fame in 1988 and enshrined into the Pac-10 Hall of Honor in
2005. His jersey at Cal (No. 40) was retired during a game between
Cal and Stanford at Haas Pavilion on February 14, 2009.[2]

NBA

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New York
Knickerbockers

Imhoff was the most highly publicized draft pick of the NBA that same year. The New York
Knickerbockers, picking third overall, made him their first
pick, a move which generated much excitement for the team. The
Knicks had two all-stars already, Richie Guerin and Willie Naulls, and
looked for Imhoff to complete a potential contender in the league's
largest city. Imhoff unfortunately, was not up to the pressure and
had a season which fell well below hopes. Disappointed, he was the
second backup center by season's end. Considered a major bust, he
was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in 1962.

Detroit
Pistons

Imhoff's lack of quickness and shooting skills at the NBA level
had been exposed, but he never quit working to improve. He began to
see more minutes with the Pistons until he was dealt to the Los Angeles
Lakers in 1964.

Los Angeles
Lakers

On a star-studded team that included Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and
others, Imhoff was now a respected reserve. He contributed solidly
to a team that won the NBA West and made it to the NBA Finals in
1965. The Lakers were encouraged enough to start Imhoff the next
season, again winning their division, but were Finals runner-up
again. Finally, in the 1966-67 season, Imhoff hit some of his
potential, averaging 12 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks
per game as a Laker starter. He made the 1967
NBA All-Star team as a reserve. But he was still badly
outplayed by Boston's Bill Russell in the NBA Finals, a fact
which repeated itself in 1968. This fact spurred the Lakers to sign
Wilt
Chamberlain that year, and Imhoff was traded to Philadelphia where he was again a
solid backup center.

Philadelphia 76ers/Cincinnati Royals/Portland Trail
Blazers

The 76ers were second in the East, but were knocked out by
Boston and Russell again in the playoffs. Imhoff was a starter
again for the 1969-70 campaign and Philadelphia made it to the
playoffs before losing to Milwaukee and Lew
Alcindor. He had one more decent season as the backup center
for Cincinnati before finishing his career
at the end of Portland's bench in 1972.

Later
years

After retiring he lived in Hillsboro, Oregon, and then Eugene.[3]
He is currently the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at the
United States Basketball Academy (USBA), a prestigious,
internationally recognized basketball camp located in Oregon's McKenzie River
Valley, about 45 miles east of Eugene.